Ban on carbon capture & sequestration (CCS) facilities & pipelines passed by full New Orleans City Council

6/9/2022

A huge win for New Orleanians! The New Orleans City Council passed R-22-219 banning the development of carbon capture & sequestration (CCS) facilities & pipelines.

This resolution will protect New Orleanians from this expensive and unproven technology that poses significant environmental, health and safety risks to our communities. A report from May 2021 by the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council concluded that carbon capture storage projects will not benefit communities.

Read more to learn more about the dangers of carbon capture & sequestration and why this ban is a win for New Orleans.

What is carbon capture and sequestration?
“Carbon capture and sequestration” or “CCS” refers to unproven technologies intended to prevent carbon dioxide (CO2) from reaching the atmosphere and contributing to climate change. Plans for CCS involve either collecting CO2 from industrial facilities or removing it from the air. Once collected or removed, the CO2 is either injected underground for disposal or used in the production of more fossil fuels.

Why is The Alliance concerned about CCS?
The coal, oil, and gas industry touts CCS as a “solution” to climate change. But CCS projects have consistently overpromised and underperformed, when they have not failed completely. CCS benefits the petrochemical and pipeline companies by enabling these industries to keep expanding profits while supposedly offsetting their emissions. What's worse? CCS poses significant environmental, health and safety risks to our communities and will have disproportionate affects on Black and Native communities. A report from May 2021 by the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council concluded that carbon capture storage projects will not benefit communities.

Why is this resolution a win for New Orleanians?

Commits the City Council to not invest in or incentivize any carbon capture storage project
Recognizes that CCS projects involve technology that can negatively impact communities, ecosystems, and cultural resources
Resolves to protect the people of New Orleans and our environment from the underground disposal of carbon waste and the buildout of hazardous pipelines
Supports transitioning to renewable and clean energy

More on the dangers of CCS:

Communities bear the risks of CO2 pipeline leaks and ruptures, as well as the potential for sinkholes, earthquakes, and groundwater contamination from the underground injection of CO2.
Pipeline transport requires CO2 to be highly pressurized, even more than methane; CO2 at such high pressurization corrodes steel, increasing risk of rupture.
CO2 is a dangerous asphyxiant. Unplanned or uncontrolled releases pose immediate physical risks to nearby people and property. The CO2 pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi on February 22, 2020 forced the evacuation of 300 residents and caused 45 people to be hospitalized.
CCS will require construction of thousands of miles of new pipelines, as well as new industrial facilities; we know from experience with oil and gas pipelines and the petrochemical industry that these projects will be sited primarily in low-income communities of color.

There are currently 12 CCS projects now planned in Louisiana. All public comments that have been submitted so far oppose the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources’ application for permitting authority over carbon capture storage projects.

Check out these resources to learn more about CCS and Resolution 22-219: